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Excursions, Incursions, Camps and Tours

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First created: 16 April 2015
Last reviewed: 10 June 2020
Review cycle: Two years
Approver: Senior Leadership Team
Owner: Projects Manager
Stakeholder: Staff
Child safety: National Principles 1-10

Overview #

  1. We regard activities such as excursions, incursions, camps, and tours as opportunities to extend our academic programs by providing students with varied learning experiences. Students are to be given the opportunity to enjoy such activities while ensuring the maximum possible safety and welfare for both students and staff.
  2. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that students of Rehoboth Christian College have the opportunity to enjoy various excursions and the College complies with health and safety. It applies to all staff and students of the College.

Attachments and References #

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following documents:

  1. Duty of Care – Primary
  2. Duty of Care – Secondary
  3. Risk Management Policy
  4. Occupational Health and Safety Policy 

Definitions #

The term excursion is used throughout this policy to refer to excursions, incursions, camps, or tours.

Policy Statements #

  1. Overall safety and welfare of the students: The overall safety and welfare of the students lies with the College through the teaching staff.
  2. Following a set standard and procedure: All excursions are to follow a standard procedure, as per attached. This will be done on Consent2Go.

Flowchart: Procedural Summary #

Procedures #

Legal Accountabilities #

  1. Duty of care:
    1. Excursions outside the classroom provide great enjoyment to all students involved. Careful planning is required to ensure the continuing welfare and safety of students and staff concerned.
    2. Responsibility for the welfare and safety of student’s lies with the College through the teaching staff at all times while the students are in its care. This includes excursions held outside the College grounds. Duty of care can be transferred to non-teaching staff, volunteers and external providers under certain circumstances. These circumstances are strictly controlled and explained further in the Duty of Care Policies for both Primary and Secondary Schools.
  2. Standard of care: The standard of care varies depending on the particular excursion. Each excursion holds a different level of risk and therefore a different standard of care. The higher the risk, the higher the standard of care required. The level of duty of care varies according to:
    1. age of the student,
    2. venue,
    3. conditions,
    4. ability of students.
  3. Breach of standard of care:
    1. The standard of care is breached when injury or damage occurs after a teacher has not conformed to the appropriate standard required. In this case, the teacher will be compared to the standard set by a capable teacher.
    2. If a student is injured because this duty of care is breached, the parent may bring a negligence action against the College. In some circumstances, however, the teacher alone might be liable. For example, a teacher may be liable if grossly negligent or acting outside the College guidelines.
  4. Venue run by third party:
    1. On occasion, the College may engage the services of external providers to either run excursions, assist in the running of excursions, or provide venues and equipment for the excursion.
    2. When engaging an external provider, the duty of care owed to students by the College is only delegable in very specific cases and that the engagement of an external provider, no matter what their level of expertise, does not release the College from its obligation to ensure the safety of its students who participate in the excursion.
    3. External providers often include disclaimer and indemnity clauses in their standard form paperwork. Disclaimers are clauses in which the external provider seeks to escape liability for negligence it may otherwise be liable for. These clauses may cover only the negligence of persons not under the control of the external provider (for example, members of the College staff or volunteers attending the excursion) but may also seek to exclude liability for the negligence of even the staff members of the external provider. Indemnity clauses are clauses in which the external provider seeks to obtain an undertaking from the College to reimburse the external provider for any amount it may be ordered to pay to a third person arising out of the excursion.
    4. Whilst the legal effect of disclaimer and indemnity clauses will depend upon the particular circumstances, the College is aware that such disclaimer and indemnity clauses may result in the College becoming liable for the negligence of persons not under its control. In addition, any liability it incurs under those clauses may not fall under the standard cover of its insurance policies. The College will, therefore, carefully consider the terms of any proposed disclaimer or indemnity clause and seek appropriate legal or other advice.

Consent #

  1. Principal’s consent: The Principal will be made aware of all excursions and camps being planned and made fully aware of all aspects of the activity. This includes that appropriate contingency plans have been made to deal with emergencies.
  2. Parent’s consent: Consent must be received from a parent using Consent2Go before a student is allowed to participate in an activity. Before parents can give permission, they must be made aware of all details of the excursion, including:
    1. an outline of the activities, particularly any hazardous activity or those requiring specialist instruction;
    2. the identity and number of supervisors and whether any of them will be volunteers/parents (e.g. This may be an issue if the parents are separated and one of the parents has restricted access to the child and is going to accompany the excursion as a volunteer);
    3. the itinerary and transport arrangements;
    4. the name and phone number of the College contact (during College and after hours);
    5. full details of time, location, costs;
    6. details of emergency protocol – refer to section, Emergency Plans, point 3 on emergency protocol;
    7. contact details for the parents for the duration of the excursion;
    8. a statement that troublesome students will be sent home at parental expense.
  3. Privacy: The collection of an individual’s personal information by the College is guided by the requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles. Staff should refer to the College’s Privacy Policy for more information, particularly where information in addition to that which the College normally collects is required for an excursion. A Privacy Impact Assessment is to be completed as part of the teacher’s preparations (see Appendix 1).
  4. For all excursions held off the College grounds or outside of normal College hours, parent consent must be obtained through Consent2Go.
  5. Only students whose parents have completed the Consent2Go approval will be allowed to participate in an excursion. The College will provide supervision at the College Campus for all students not participating, unless it is for a camp.
  6. Parental consent is mandatory on Consent2Go: It allows parents to make an informed decision regarding their children’s attendance on a particular excursion. It does not, however, remove or diminish the duty of care to be provided by the school or the supervising teachers.
  7. Medical consent forms: The College will request detailed medical information and consent for medical treatment for extended excursions. The College will request on the medical consent form that they are allowed to call a doctor and/or ambulance and that parents will be required to meet all associated costs.

Planning #

  1. Prior planning is an important component of a successful and safe activity or excursion. Listed below are issues that need to be addressed when planning an excursion. Some of these points are covered in detail in other sections of this document.
  2. Itinerary: A full itinerary must be prepared that provides:
    1. dates (commencement, return and significant events during the excursion);
    2. times (in particular, departure and arrival times);
    3. locality of delivery and pick up of students;
    4. transport (which transport will be used, school bus or public transport, etc)
    5. accommodation (where students will be staying, what type of accommodation it is, whether the students will be sharing rooms);
    6. phone numbers for the place of accommodation and of the teachers accompanying the students.
  3. Emergency protocol: It is not possible to plan for all likely emergencies that may occur on the excursion, but a basic emergency protocol must be in place for such situations and known by all those supervising on the excursion. The protocol must contain:
    1.  contact details for all parents;
    2. an authority for each student, permitting emergency medical treatment to be administered;
    3. details of any special medical requirements or allergies for particular students;
    4. contact details for hospitals and doctors in the area in which they are travelling;
    5. if it is an overseas tour, the contact details for the Australian consular officials in the country in which they are travelling;
    6. the procedure to follow in the case of unforeseen events, such as travel delays, an injury to a student, a lost student, natural disaster.
  4. Supervision: Planning should provide evidence of supervision requirements including:
    1. teachers (the number of teachers accompanying the excursion and the College’s the teachers are from);
    2. volunteers (details on who they are and whether they require a police clearance and/or Working with Children Check);
    3. the supervisor to student ratio taking into consideration the age of the students, their capability, the nature and location of the excursion (see section Student Capabilities regarding teacher/student ratios);
    4. whether male and female supervisors are required (particularly relevant if the excursion is for a number of days);
    5. the arrangements to be made for supervision of students at night and in their sleeping accommodation;
    6. the appropriateness of a male supervisor if the students are all female, and vice versa;
    7. chain of command (the teacher in charge of the excursion);
    8. teachers or volunteers may require specialised training or qualification for the excursion (e.g. first aid certificate, bronze medallion, special drivers licence);
    9. if the students are going to attend another school whilst on the excursion, who is responsible for the students? Whether the teacher accompanying the students still has a duty of care to the students whilst they are out of the teacher’s control e.g. attending a foreign school;
    10. the responsibility for the students if they are billeted out with families whilst on the excursion. Whether the teacher accompanying the students still has a duty of care to the students whilst they are out of the teacher’s control;
    11. whether there should be a meeting to introduce the supervisors to the parents and outline the itinerary for the excursion;
    12. whether there should be an opportunity for the parents to ask any questions about the excursion;
    13. the teacher in charge’s local knowledge of the area the excursion is visiting;
    14. determining the responsibility for supervising the return home of a troublesome student;
    15. the implications for the College and the teachers supervising the students, with respect to duty of care, if the excursion is organised by an external agency.
  5. Students: Planning should take into account the following requirements:
    1. Number, age, and gender of students attending the excursion (this is important when considering the level of supervision necessary, younger students may require more supervisors – refer to section, Student Capabilities for an indication of required numbers);
    2. Details of any students with disabilities or special needs and whether the supervisors require any special training to attend to these students;
    3. Details of any allergies or special medication necessary for particular students. Whether the supervisors need to administer this to the student and if so whether they require any special training to do so;
    4. If travelling overseas, whether the medication a student takes is permitted in the country they are visiting;
    5. Whether students are capable of undertaking the planned activities e.g. Can they swim? If the student can’t do the activity, what will the student do during that time and how the student will be supervised?
    6. Details of what to do if a troublesome student is to be returned home and who will bear the cost.
  6. Equipment and specialist instruction: Planning should demonstrate that any specific equipment requirements have been considered and/or any requirements for specialist instruction have been investigated, including:
    1. whether the equipment to be used on the excursion is adequate for the purpose;
    2. whether the equipment is in good repair;
    3. whether any of the activities to be undertaken on the excursion require specialised instruction. If so, details of who will provide the instruction;
    4. if the College is engaging external instructors, details of the instructors’ qualifications, insurance etc.
  7. Insurance: Appropriate insurance cover must be thoroughly investigated. Particular attention must be given to establish whether the College’s current insurance policies are adequate for the purposes of the excursion. Issues to be considered include:
    1. whether the College’s insurance policies cover the risks associated with travelling: locally/intrastate, interstate, or overseas;
    2. whether the teachers/supervisors will be covered by the College’s insurance whilst on the excursion;
    3. whether volunteers will be covered by the College’s insurance whilst on the excursion;
    4. whether the activities being undertaken on the excursion fall within the scope of the College’s insurance policies;
    5. if students participating in the excursion are from different schools, whether the host school’s insurance policies cover those students;
    6. what the position is if students are accompanied by teachers from a different school;
    7. what the situation is if the excursion is organised by an external agency (see section, Teacher/Student Ratios (d) regarding venues run by third party);
    8. if the excursion is arranged by an external agency but is supervised by teachers from the College, who is responsible for the insurance cover for the students and the teachers;
    9. if the excursion is arranged by an external agency but the College pays the teachers for the duration of the excursion, whether that creates a liability or obligation for the College.

Responsibilities #

Managing Risk #

  1. All excursions possess some level of risk to the students involved. While the existence of risk may be seen as a positive in allowing students to ‘stretch themselves’ and determine their level of capability, it is important that the risk involved is managed to an acceptable level.
  2. Risk management is the process of identifying the potential risks a particular activity presents to students and teachers.
  3. All risks need to be identified and examined according to the likelihood of the risk happening and the consequences if it does happen. Once this has been done, the planning of the excursion will include mechanisms for reducing or eliminating each identified risk. For example: a Grade 5 class excursion to count cars on a busy road for a Maths project has been organised. One of the identified risks is the possibility that a child may drift onto the road and be run over.
  4. A way to reduce the risk could be to remind students of the risk before commencing the excursion and constantly reminding students during the excursion of the need for road safety and to ensure that the adult/student ratio is appropriate to the excursion.
  5. Risk Management is an integral part of the Planning Approval process on Consent2Go and Principals are required to ensure that this section is completed to a satisfactory standard.
  6. For more details see section, Safety and Risk Management.

Assessing Student Capabilities #

  1. The capabilities of the students attending an excursion are a major factor in determining the duty of care that teachers have to those students. The teacher in charge must insist that all students involved are able to demonstrate their ability to complete a range of targets set so that they are not participating in an excursion beyond their abilities. This is particularly important in the case of aquatic activities.
  2. For excursions using external instructors, contact them for a list of what is expected of the student during the excursion and what level of expertise is required of the student before commencing.
  3. For further information on establishing minimum targets for water based activities, see section, Guidelines for Aquatic Activities.

Qualifications of Staff and Leaders #

  1. The College is responsible for ensuring that the teacher or assisting instructor is sufficiently qualified to run the excursion. This also means that the person in charge has the appropriate skills and abilities to deal with the environment and can demonstrate an ability to rescue an injured student.
  2. Teachers/Leaders should have assessed the area in which the excursion is to be held, possess a current relevant first aid certificate (the certificate applicable varies depending on the activity involved – see below), be able to show that they have supervised students in the same or similar environment and hold a current Criminal History Check (in WA the Working With Children Check (WWCC) is also required).
  3. For aquatic excursions, at least one teacher/instructor must hold a current:
    1. Bronze Medallion – The Royal Life Saving Society; or
    2. Surf Rescue Certificate – The Surf Life Saving;
    3. See section Contact Information on RLSSA and SLSWA.
  4. For non-aquatic excursions, one teacher/instructor should be able to administer first aid. The College should determine what level of first aid knowledge is required for the particular excursion.
    1. See s7 Safety for further information.
    2. See s8 Guidelines for Aquatic Activities for further information.
  5. It is recommended that there is a minimum of two adults regardless of the group size and that one of these adults should be a teacher.

External Instructors #

  1. For many excursions, external instructors are required to either assist the teacher in charge or to run the course themselves.
  2. External instructors will need to have the appropriate qualifications, experience, police clearance, WWCC, insurance coverage and permits required and hold details of these at the College prior to the excursion.

Safety Preparation #

  1. The development of an emergency plan is one of the most important aspects in organising any excursion. The Principal and all adults assisting the teacher in charge of the excursion must receive a copy prior to the excursion commencing. This is part of the Consent2Go Planning Approval process.
  2. See s7 Safety for further detail.

Use of Private Vehicles #

  1. Private vehicles: The use of private vehicles to transport students is discouraged and only used in extreme circumstances. The College’s duty of care extends to ensuring that all private vehicles used by parents and teachers on College excursions adhere to certain guidelines.
  2. The College has a set of guidelines to follow, being:
    1. the driver’s experience and competence, for example, no ‘L’ or ‘P’ plate drivers allowed;
    2. the vehicle’s roadworthiness must be checked, including seat belts, lights, brakes;
    3. a copy of the insurance policy on the vehicle (comprehensive motor vehicle insurance) must be obtained;
    4. the number of children in the car is determined by the size or number recommended by the manufacturer i.e. Sedan 3-4 passengers or up to 8 in a People Mover. A seat belt must be available to each passenger;
    5. written permission must first be obtained from parents for their child to be driven in a private vehicle;
    6. approval from the Principal for teachers to use their car to transport students;
    7. ensure that the “normal” risk assessment has been done; for example, contact numbers attained, arrangements are in place should an accident occur, etc.
    8. the College must make it clear to the drivers of the vehicles that the College will not accept any liability for any damage to the vehicle.
    9. the vehicle’s third party cover should ensure children against injury.
  3. Use of College bus: The Road Traffic Act requires school buses to adhere to several regulations. The driver and accompanying supervising teacher must ensure that all these regulations are complied with before any excursion.

Discipline Procedure #

  1. Before the start of any excursion it is important to outline to all students, assisting adults and parents what student behaviour is expected during the excursion emphasising the need for safety standards.
  2. For some excursions, consideration may need to be given to an individual student’s previous behaviour. For example, a child known to be habitually disobedient will not be allowed to participate in a canoeing activity while on camp due to the potential dangers involved.
  3. All discipline and matters relating to general conduct should be left to the teaching staff and, if possible, the teacher in charge. All other assisting adults (parents, non-teaching staff and outside staff) should be asked to pass all problems on to the appropriate teacher.

Student Attendance #

  1. All students attending an excursion will be marked on a roll at the beginning and the end of an excursion.
  2. Any parents wishing to take their child home from an excursion instead of completing the journey back to school in the bus, must directly contact the teacher in charge either verbally or in writing, before withdrawing their child.

Parent Involvement #

  1. Parental involvement on excursions can provide many benefits, including:
    1. increasing the adult/student ratio;
    2. being used in a supervisory or general duty role;
    3. use of specialist medical or first aid skills;
    4. driving students to the venue (see s6.4 Responsibilities, and Use of Private Vehicles);
    5. acting in an instructional role (e.g. mining contacts, skills in the bush);
    6. modelling of expected behaviours,
    7. utilising organisational skills – getting children at a certain place at a certain time.
  2. All parents participating must be made aware of the emergency procedures, minor first aid procedures, any medical conditions of the students in their care and that they are to pass any discipline problems on to the teachers concerned.
  3. All adults not employed by the College participating in any extended College excursion must complete the statement given below. This statement shows that the College has taken ‘reasonable steps’ to ensure that the person has no convictions. If a school wishes, it could request that the person signs a Statutory Declaration instead, as this requires the declaration to be witnessed. Criminal History Checks can then be requested if necessary. This requirement includes any parents.

Safety #

The duty of care owed to students remains the responsibility of the teacher on all College excursions organised. One of the most important aspects to be considered when organising any excursion, therefore, is the safety of all students concerned.

Teacher/Student Ratios #

  1. There are many factors that influence the ratio of teacher to student, including the age of the students, their capability, and the location of the activity and the nature of the activity. Even though there is no legal requirement to provide a certain number of adults, the College is mindful of its duty of care when organising any excursion.
  2. One of the adults accompanying any group must be a registered teacher. For mixed groups, it is preferable that there is one male and one female teacher present. For excursions lasting more than one day, volunteers can be used for part of that time so that the male/female mix remains as long as there is at least one teacher always present.
  3. A minimum of two adults must accompany the group irrespective of the group size, with one of the adults being a teacher. If an adult other than a teacher is busy with students, a teacher will always be present to take overall responsibility for duty of care.
  4. For some excursions some staff will need to have first aid qualifications and experience.
  5. The Department of Education set down guidelines for best practice for student/staff ratios with respect to outdoor excursions, e.g. The Ministry of Sport and Recreation recommends an instructor/student ratio of 1:8 for abseiling. Rehoboth’s minimum adult to student ratio is 1:10 for all excursions, incursions, camps or tours.
  6. For extra-curricular activities such as a College Ball the following may be an adequate ratio: for the first 50 students – one female teacher, one male teacher and one other adult – preferably a teacher.
  7. For every additional 40 students – one additional adult.
  8. A gender balance of adults with at least half the number of adults being teachers is desirable.

Safety Advice #

  1. Before any excursion, the teacher in charge must make sure that all supervising adults and the College are fully aware of all safety aspects of an excursion. Safety considerations will vary considerably from excursion to excursion due to the nature of the activity, the students involved, and the length of the excursion.
  2. The teacher in charge should have a complete list of all students involved in the excursion and knowledge of any medical conditions for individual students.
  3. The location must be checked by the teacher in charge for suitability prior to the excursion commencing. Once the location has been deemed suitable, clear boundaries must be set to define the area for students use.
  4. Every excursion should have a safety and emergency plan. This should include mobile phone availability, a teacher with rescue, resuscitation and first aid training available throughout the whole activity, first aid kit available at all times and Epipen for any students attending that may require one.
  5. For aquatic activities, the Royal Life Saving Society has produced a Multi-Point Checklist. This checklist assesses all aspects of the activity, including venue safety, student requirements during the activity, activity and equipment safety and teacher requirements. This checklist is an excellent tool to help plan any aquatic activity. See Contact Information for information on the RLSSA.

Emergency Plans #

Some activities have a higher intrinsic level of risk than others. For example, an abseiling excursion has a higher level of risk than an excursion to the zoo. It is, therefore, essential that the teacher in charge be fully aware of the intrinsic level of risk of the excursion to be undertaken.

The College Emergency Plan must be understood by all teaching and supervising staff. The Emergency Plan is:

  1. Emergency assistance should not be more than, say, one hour away (if at all possible).
  2. The teacher in charge must have the phone numbers of the College contact person, local police and ambulance, and have medical consent forms readily available.
  3. The College contact person will be readily available, especially outside normal College office hours, and be known to all parents. The contact person will know the names and phone numbers of all in the group, have details of the itinerary and be able to contact the teacher in charge.
  4. In remote areas, the local police or the park ranger will be made aware of the itinerary and school contact person.
  5. All adults involved in the excursion will know the chain of command.
  6. The teacher in charge must document the details of any incident as soon as is practical.
  7. Teachers in charge must make sure that they have the following equipment available in the event of an emergency: mobile phone, vehicle to transport patient or access to an ambulance, a first aid kit, and for aquatic activities flags to mark the area and rescue board or ring.
  8. Specific procedures should be established in case of injury, medical emergencies, changes in conditions (e.g. heavy rain while on a walking excursion), equipment failure, other foreseeable situations requiring immediate decisions and evacuation procedures should be established and understood.
  9. At least one person on the excursion must have current first aid knowledge.
  10. All of these risks may be added to the Safety and Risk Management section of the Planning Approval of Consent2Go. Details of the way each risk is minimised are then provided.


This list is not intended as a comprehensive list but as examples of matters to be considered.

Safety and Risk Management #

All activities contain some level of risk. Some activities will have a risk level much greater than others. It is essential that all adults involved in the excursion have an understanding of the level of risk and are able to manage the risk at a level commensurate with the ability of the students and the area in which the excursion is to be held.

Below is a list of areas to consider. Some of the items are aimed specifically at extended excursions or camps:

  1. an activity not planned on a program does not happen;
  2. the adult-to-student ratio is appropriate for the activity held;
  3. the proposed activity matches the ability of the students involved;
  4. the leader of the activity has the relevant experience and qualifications;
  5. all students and adults have the suitable clothing and equipment;
  6. all adults involved in the activity understand the chain of command;
  7. relevant authorities have been notified of activities in the area of their jurisdiction;
  8. there are adequate first aid kits and at least one adult complies with the first aid requirement for the activity. All first aid and rescue equipment must be available to respond to an accident. For excursions in remote locations, rescue equipment may also include stretchers, vehicles, mobile phones, EPIRB;
  9. weather conditions have been/are monitored;
  10. there is a clear understanding of the safety procedures in the event of an emergency and all supervising adults understand the Emergency Plan and the resources available to them;
  11. the teachers in charge must make sure that they have a complete understanding of the area in which the activity is being held e.g. distance to phone, ranger’s office, hospital, access with 2WD, 4WD;
  12. all safety equipment and clothing should be continually checked;
  13. all equipment to be used in an activity is in safe working order (e.g. climbing ropes for abseiling);
  14. as stated previously, one person must have first aid knowledge. The College should keep in mind that the level of this knowledge should increase if medical help is more than one hour away.


This list is not intended to be comprehensive, but provides examples of matters to be considered.

In addition, schools should follow the three-point ‘SAM’ approach suggested by WorkSafe for ensuring safety at work:

  • Spot the hazard
  • Assess the risk
  • Make the necessary changes

Students with Disabilities and Medical Needs #

The benefits to children of excursions and camps can be many. However, it is essential that where children with disabilities and/or medical needs are concerned, the College will check with their insurers, the child’s parents and the child’s doctor (at the parent’s discretion) while the excursion is in the planning stages.

  1. If a student has a medical condition that may require attention on the excursion, the College will negotiate an individual emergency plan with the parents. Advice could be sought from a medical professional. The plan should be signed by the parents and given to every member of staff attending. It contains information such as who should be contacted immediately (parent, Dr), phone numbers, Medicare number, Private Health Fund details. Action to be taken is outlined in Steps to be taken i.e. 1. Ring ambulance (OOO), 2. Ring mother (phone number), 3. ………..
  2. Should the College have serious concerns about their ability to meet the child’s medical needs, the child’s parent or a trained nurse can be asked to attend. Another parent or a teacher assistant with medical expertise may volunteer, or the College may have to employ an appropriate person.
  3. If children with ADHD, intellectual disabilities, psychological problems, and behavioural concerns are attending, attention should be given to the individual needs of the students in the planning stages. Ways to prevent/overcome possible problems that can be foreseen should be discussed and documented by all staff involved.
  4. Mentors should be assigned to students with high support needs so that responsibilities are clear. The mentor, a teacher, parent, nurse or volunteer is responsible for monitoring the child throughout the excursion. The child and parents are informed.
  5. Some students have physical disabilities or medical conditions that make participation in some or all activities difficult. The risks and practicalities MUST be discussed with the parents while the excursion is in the planning stages. Alternative or adapted activities must be offered. If solutions cannot be found, another location/venue/activity should be considered for all students. The Disability Discrimination Act means that schools cannot ask parents to keep their child at home while other students participate in the excursion.

Guidelines For College Aquatic Activities #

  1. Responsibility for the welfare and safety of student’s lies with the teaching staff at all times while the students are in their care. Nowhere is this responsibility more heightened than when aquatic activities are concerned. While instructors and/or assisting adults may also be involved in the activity, this duty of care remains with the teacher and cannot be passed on to others.
  2. The duty of care provided by the teacher in charge of the aquatic activity extends to the following:
    1. student capabilities;
    2. qualifications of adults involved;
    3. adult/student ratio;
    4. assessing the risk;
    5. establishing guidelines for the activity.

Student Capabilities #

  1. The Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) provides a Water Safety Framework listing the skills the Society believes are desirable when allowing children to participate in aquatic activities. The Framework provides minimum targets for achievement that are aligned to years of schooling. The College, in line with AISWA, recognises these minimum targets as ones to be considered by schools before the commencement of any aquatic activity. See section Contact Information for the RLSSA contact details.
  2. Depending on the location of the aquatic activity, the teacher in charge must insist that all students involved be able to complete the minimum targets set.
  3. It is also necessary to identify any students with medical or physical conditions before the excursion commences. The inclusion of such children may alter staffing ratios, the location of the excursion, limiting the child’s participation in the excursion to selected activities, etc.

Qualifications #

Due to the high-risk nature of the activity, it is essential that at least one adult involved hold current lifesaving qualifications. The minimum requirements are:

Closed-water activities:
RLSSA Bronze Medallion;
SLSWA Bronze Medallion;
SLSWA Surf Rescue Certificate;

Open-water activities:
SLSWA Bronze Medallion;
SLSWA Surf Rescue Certificate;
RLSSA Bronze Medallion (for flowing river or waterway).

Adult/Student Ratios #

  1. For all water-based activities there must be at least two supervisors at all times and that one supervisor will be appropriately qualified. The ratio of adults to student will depend on many factors, all of which need to be taken into consideration when planning an excursion, and may include:
    1. student ability;
    2. medical or physical conditions of students;
    3. supervisor’s ability and experience;
    4. age of students;
    5. location and type of activity being undertaken;
    6. weather (allowing for changes during the activity);
    7. lifeguards on duty at a public facility are not considered as part of the supervisory team.
  2. These ratios are guidelines for teachers to follow and show the maximum number of children to each supervising adult.

Department of Education Ratio Recommendations for Water-Based Activities #

Closed Water
  1. In a closed (controlled) water environment (still or slow-moving) such as a swimming pool, sheltered coastal area or river, dam, water hole, or inland water body, the composition of the supervisory team must meet the criteria outlined here.
  2. Taking into account the minimum requirement of two supervisors, one of whom is a qualified supervisor, the following minimum supervision are required:
    1. One qualified supervisor for every 32 students or part thereof, and
    2. For every twelve students or part thereof, there will be one supervisor (inclusive of the qualified supervisor)
EXAMPLE No. OF STUDENTS MIN No. OF SUPERVISORS REQUIRED No. OF QUALIFIED SUPERVISORS REQUIRED TOTAL SUPERVISORY TEAM
9 2 1 2
14 2 1 2
26 3 1 3
33 3 2 3
52 5 2 5
73 7 3 7
Open Water
  1. In an open (uncontrolled) water environment (fast moving or turbulent), such as a surf beach, flowing river or waterway, or tidal coastal waters, the composition of the supervisory team must meet the following criteria.
  2. Taking into account the minimum requirement of two supervisors, one of whom is a qualified supervisor, the following minimum supervision levels are required:
    1. one qualified supervisor for every sixteen students or part thereof; and
    2. for every eight students or part thereof, there will be one supervisor (inclusive of the qualified supervisor).
  3. Many popular venues have various levels of lifeguard services, depending on the time of year. Lifeguards on duty are not to be considered as part of the supervisory team unless they have been engaged formally as an external provider.
EXAMPLE No. OF STUDENTS MIN No. OF SUPERVISORS REQUIRED No. OF QUALIFIED SUPERVISORS REQUIRED TOTAL SUPERVISORY TEAM
7 2 1 2
12 2 1 2
20 3 2 3
29 4 2 4
35 5 3 5
46 6 3 6

Assessing the Risk #

  1. Preparation for the aquatic activity is as important as the activity itself. Adequate and thorough preparation is necessary to ensure all safety aspects are covered.
  2. The Royal Life Saving Society provides a Multi-Point Checklist that is ideal for all aquatic activities. This checklist assesses all aspects of the activity, including:
    1. venue safety
    2. student requirements during the activity
    3. activity and equipment safety (supervision during activity, held outdoors etc), teacher requirements.
  3. Each aspect of the activity is rated according to its risk rating. This measures the level of risk the activity presents to teachers and students. It also measures the level of controls to determine how the risk will be managed. A ratio of risk management to risk rating will determine the safety ratio.
  4. When at all possible, the teacher in charge should visit the area prior to the excursion in order to gain first-hand knowledge when this risk is being assessed.

Establishing Activity Guidelines #

  1. It is essential that all participants are aware of all guidelines before an activity commences.
  2. The supervisors should be made aware of their individual supervisory role including where they are to be positioned, which area is theirs when scanning for students, and what the safety check systems are (e.g. buddy system where swimmers are paired and regularly checked):
    1. teacher/assisting adult to test the area prior to students being allowed to enter
    2. continually evaluate the area for changes (e.g. weather conditions)
    3. ensure that the staff member responsible for safety is ready to enter the water
    4. carry out regular roll calls/head counts
    5. ensure the area is in clear view of staff member responsible for safety
    6. clearly mark the activity area for all open water activities
    7. describe to students the communication methods to be used (e.g. whistle)
    8. ensure that the emergency plan is able to be executed at all times (e.g. mobile phone, flotation devices).

Contact Information #

RLSSA (Royal Life Saving Society of Australia – WA Branch)
PO Box 28
FLOREAT FORUM WA 6014
Ph: (08) 9383 9988
Fax: (08) 9383 9922
E-mail: rlssa@msn.com.au
Website: http://www.rlssa.org/au/wa/

SLSWA (Surf Life Saving Western Australia)
PO Box 1048
OSBORNE PARK WA 6916
Ph: (08) 9244 1222
Fax: (08) 9244 1225
E-mail: slswa@slswa.asn.au
Website: http://www.slswa.asn.au

CALM (Department of Conservation and Land Management)
50 Hayman Road
COMO WA 6152
Ph: (08) 9334 0333

Department of Education policy and procedures documents to refer to include:

Appendix 1: Article On College Skiing Excursions #

Tronc, Keith. 2006. “Risk Management Planning for School Skiing Excursions”. The Australian Educational Leader Vol. 28 (2). p. 23.

Permission to reproduce this article granted by the Australian Council for Educational Leaders.

Skiing is a “high-risk” activity for students, particularly for any inexperienced beginners. There are numerous important issues which should be taken into careful account by teachers who are planning to lead a school excursion to the snowfields this winter. Consider this guidelines-checklist, for possible incorporation into the school’s master supervision plan:

  • Pre-trip information statements to parents should be very detailed, and should set out all significant facts, such as location; mode of travel; skills and experience of the supervisor; numbers of supervising assistants, both teachers and parent volunteers, together with their background and experience; provision for first aid treatment and the training in first aid possessed by the supervisory team; existence of any dangerous ‘black runs’; plans for the induction of beginner students in the safe use of ski lifts; hours per day to be spent skiing, banning of tobogganing and trick skiing; procedures to be followed in case of accident; and plan B intentions in the event of bad weather.
  • Teachers should take careful note of, and thoroughly implement, informed parental non-consent, with regard to any refusal of permission for children to venture on to black runs.
  • All those assisting with the ski-field supervision and travel supervision should be thoroughly briefed beforehand, in relation to their duties, with student safety being paramount.
  • All participating students and their parents should undergo prior briefing at an information session at the school prior to departure.
  • Further briefing sessions specifically on safety issues should be provided to all students prior to their first ventures on to the snow, with follow-up debriefings daily, and additional safety instructions wherever needed.
  • There should be detailed and continuing safety emphasis on the significance, content, and meaning of ski-field signage.
  • Before any beginners use the T-bars and ski-lifts, they should receive intensive training in preparation for the safe use of these devices, particularly in correct mounting and dismounting methods.
  • A preliminary selection process should be undertaken to assess which students have sufficient previous experience and skill to ski with reduced supervision, and separate from the beginner group, with firm rules as to where they may go, and what they may do, with regular “reporting-in” conditions.
  • All those adults supervising should have a strict role in relation to safety surveillance of the students and necessary intervention. It should be repeatedly made clear to those assisting with the supervision that they are not there primarily to enjoy a skiing holiday of their own, and that their prime and continuing responsibility is to oversee student safety, particularly that of the beginners.
  • Plans should be made as to how to continuously ensure that beginners do not stray on to black runs.
  • All safety requirements of the particular education employing authority and those of the ski resort operator should be strictly observed. Before embarking on the trip, the organising teacher should have sought and obtained official permission, to ensure coverage by the vicarious liability umbrella of the employer.
  • Staff-student ratios should comply with the safety directions of the employing authority, not just on an overall basis of calculation, but within each sub-group of participants as well.
  • The skiing activities must be aborted in the event of bad weather and/or poor visibility, as part of an overall pre-prepared contingency plan.
  • Careful graduated and closely supervised instruction should be provided to all beginners, before they are allowed to extend their skills.
  • A teacher ought to be the first up the tow or chairlift, in order to assist the more inexperienced of the students at the exit point and supervise generally while the group assembles. A second teacher should follow at the end of the group, in order to assist any student in difficulty.
  • Apply all of the above guidelines and, if an accident occurs during a skiing excursion, you are then able to demonstrate a “system of care”.
Procedures
  1. Check College Insurance Policies are adequate for the purposes of the excursion. In particular, if run by a third party. [See section Planning (Point 6) regarding insurance]
  2. Is the location suitable?
  3. Assess Student Capabilities
    • All students involved must be able to demonstrate their ability to complete a range of targets set so that they are not participating in an excursion beyond their abilities?
    • This is especially important in the case of aquatic activities. [See Guidelines for Aquatic Activities]
    • Are there students with Disabilities or Medical Conditions that need to be considered? [See section Students with Disabilities and Medical Needs]
  1. Principal’s Consent – The Principal must be made aware of all excursions and camps being planned and all aspects of the activity
  2. Parent’s Consent – Parents must give permission and they must be made aware of all details of the excursion, including:
    • An outline of the activities, particularly any hazardous activity or those requiring specialist instruction;
    • The identity and number of supervisors and whether any of them will be volunteers/parents (e.g. This may be an issue if the parents are separated and one of the parents has restricted access to the child and is going to accompany the excursion as a volunteer);
    • The itinerary and transport arrangements;
    • The name and phone number of the College contact (during College and after hours);
    • Full details of time, location, costs;
    • Details of emergency protocol [See Planning (Point 2) regarding emergency protocol];
    • Contact details for the parents for the duration of the excursion;
    • A statement that troublesome students will be sent home at parental expense.
  1. Medical Consent Forms
  2. Prepare Itinerary
    • Dates (commencement, return and significant events during the excursion);
    • Times (in particular, departure and arrival times);
    • Locality of delivery and pick up of students;
    • Transport (which transport will be used, school bus or public transport etc)
    • Accommodation (where students will be staying, what type of accommodation it is, whether the students will be sharing rooms);
    • Phone numbers for the place of accommodation and of the teachers accompanying the students.
  1. Establish Emergency Protocol
    • Contact details for all parents;
    • An authority for each student, permitting emergency medical treatment to be administered;
    • Details of any special medical requirements or allergies for particular students;
    • Contact details for hospitals and doctors in the area in which they are travelling;
    • If it is an overseas tour, the contact details for the Australian consular officials in the country in which they are travelling;
    • The procedure to follow in the case of unforeseen events, such as travel delays, an injury to a student, a lost student, natural disaster.
  1. Make sure there is adequate supervision. [See Responsibilities section regarding Qualifications of Staff and Leaders, and Safety section regarding adult/student ratios].
  2. Details of students participating in excursion
  3. If necessary, check any equipment to be used
    • Whether the equipment to be used on the excursion is adequate for the purpose;
    • Whether the equipment is in good repair;
    • Whether any of the activities to be undertaken on the excursion require specialised instruction. If so, details of who will provide the instruction;
    • If the school is engaging external instructors, need details of the instructors’ qualifications, insurance etc.
    • Do any relevant authorities need to be notified and given contact numbers and/or itineraries? (e.g. In remote areas, the local Police or park ranger)
    • For extended excursions or camps, parents must fill out the declaration on page 13
    • Inform Students and Assisting adults what behaviour is expected during the excursion
    • Check Rolls (beginning and end)
    • Ensure all adults involved are made aware of the chain of command, emergency procedures, any necessary medical information, contact numbers etc.